Last summer, I wrote about watching Thea wade through her personal developmental journey at swimming boot camp. It was a difficult experience for her - and for us! She was pleased as a peach to have completed the four-session immersion program. And she never wanted to go back.

As we moved into her sixth summer, Nikole and I were determined that our daughter would learn to swim. We had beach and river vacations planned, and wanted her to be safe and to be able to have fun without clinging to us (me).

Early in the summer, we managed to squeeze a handful of lessons in at the Jewish Community Center, one of which I observed from the sidelines. It became clear to us that once a week wasn't cutting it.

Even Thea was frustrated. She quickly went through the Three Phases of Swimming Frustration: dismissive swagger, confusion, and then frustration.